Oe hew



J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933. Re. 18,890

' METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 20 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933.

Re. 18,890 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS @ri inal Filed Oct.

8 Sheets-Sheet I 2 INVEN fOR BY '48;

ATTORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933.

Re. 13,894) METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct 20 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVZQTOR A TORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933. Re. 18,890

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINER Original- Filed Oct. 20 1926 8 Sheefs-Sheet 4 INVENTOR &Z;%

ATTORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933. Re. 18,890

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 20. 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO 4 3% A TORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933. Re. 18,890

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 20, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933. Re. 18,896 I METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 20, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 ATTORNEY J. A. GRAY July 11, 1933.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 20, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Iml/tg/ENTOR ATTORNEY Reissued July 11, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES A. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM- PANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY METHOD or Ann APEARATUS FOR MAKING ANGULAR CONTAINERS Original No. 1,792,978, dated February 17,1931, Serial No. 142,832, filed October 20, 1926. Application for reissue filed February 17,

This invention relates to the automatic manufacture of containers, and more particularly to angular cans, preferably rectangular, of a relatively large size, consisting of a body constructed of a plurality of sections to which are united the ends, constituting abottom and a top, the body and end seams be ing interlocked and soldered and the top preferably mounting a transporting means in the form of a handle.

r insuring the body of any given can being of material of the same weight and texture.

A further object is attained in cutting the body forming sheets for any given can or container from a single sheet or blank by reducing the trimming waste operations and labor now occasioned by the present practise, wherein two separate sheets of material are separately trimmed and prepared, and are. thereafter united. M r

A further and important object is the automatic bringing together, by "mechanical means, for subsequent assembly and uniting, of a plurality of angular blanks'to form a can body.

Further objects will be apparent and will present themselves as the following description of one embodiment of the invention is understood in connection with the accompanying drawings illustratingthe same.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed tothe drawings, wherein I have shown the best means known to me for performing my method, but other suitable means may be employed. In said drawings Figure 1 is a' diagrammatic lay-out of the 1933. Serial No. 657,249.

feed end portion of the apparatus. at present preferred for the practise of my invention, the first stages of formation of one of the articles produced being illustrated at differs ent stages of operation. i

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic lay-out,fsimilar to Fig. 1, of the remainingportion of the apparatus, the article being shown at different stages of the operation and completed.

I Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine for feeding body blank forming sheets to the receiving end of the apparatus.

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of a slitter and trimming apparatus for receiving sheets'from the sheet feederFig. 3.

Figure 5is a view in side elevation, partly in section of anotching and trimming apparatus, two of which are employed for operating on the slit sheets as delivered from the slitting apparatusFig. 4. r

Fig. 6 is'a longitudinal, sectional View of a conventional form of hemming machine for acting on'the notched body forming blanks to flange or hem the opposite longitudinal side edges, two of said machines being employed in the present apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a view in longitudinal section of apaneling, bending and edging machine for receiving the blanks from the hemming machineFig. 6; two .of said machines being employed in the pre'sent apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism for bringing the formed body blanks together, assembling and interlocking the edges thereof together to 7 form a cam body. Fig. 9 is a. View in transverse section ofan apparatus for applying flux to the ends of the livered from one of said end forming presses.

13 is a view in topplan of a handlesoh dering machine forjunltmglthe cleats to the end members, as the same are succ'esslvely assembled, said machine thereafter delivering the assembled end for uniting to one end of the formedcan body therewith.

Fig. 14 is a view in transverse section of an end rolling or-seaming machine for permanently seaming'the ends to the can bodies, there being two of such machines employed. Fig. 15 is a'view in transverse section of one of the can end soldering stations for applying solder to theend seams of the can',there being'four of such stations in the present; organized apparatus. 7

Fig. "16 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of one of the stations for soldering the side seams of the cans as-the same are conveyed therethrough, there being -two-of such stations in the present organized apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1, 2 and 3, sheets of tin plate 1 of a size which when longitudinally slit provide two body blanks, are successively fed, one'at a time from a stack, by the suction head 2-upwardly betweenthe conveying belt 3 and cylinder t to conveyer members, conventionally illustrated at 5 in Fig. "'1; this sheet feeding means being designated in detail 'in my copending application for Letters Patent,'Se-

. rial Number 717,853, filed June 4th, 1924.

The walls6. ofthe conveyer guide the suc-- cessive ly fed blanks beneaththe slitting and trlmmlng rolls 7 of a conventional slitting and trimming apparatusFig.' 4.

The action of the slitting and trimming rolls is to trim the sheet '1 along edges '8' (Fig. 1) and slit the same into duplicate body forming portions or blanks 10, which after leaving the slitter and trimmer, Fig. 4,

are separated by blade (Fig. 1) and are conveyed by the conventional conveyer members 5, in differentpaths, they being guided by the respective conveyer edge walls 6. The respective trimmed body forming blankslO asfconveyed by their respective conveyersj5 each pass through the blank notching mechanism, Fig. 5, consisting of a bed?" and reclpr'ocat'mg die 8, which operate" to notch,

as at 9, the 'four corners of the blanks and alsotrim thesheets 1Q at 9.

From the notching mechanism, Fig. 5 the blanks 10 with theirnotched corners 9 are again conveyed by the conveyers 5 and guidedby'the walls 6 in a direction at'right angles to their previous direction of travel into and through a conventional form of'hemming as the same registers machine 11, Fig. 6, the same consisting of The conveyers 5 carry the hemmed and. notched blanks 10, after leaving the hemming machines 11, at right angles to their previous direction and into and through a paneling andiedgingmachine 14,01? the conventional well known type, which machines" act on the respective blanks to panel the same at 15, and, turn inwardly, as at 16, the

edges thereof extending betweenthe flanges or hems 13. The paneling and edging machine is conventionally illustrated in' Fig. 7,

and in its conventional illustration consists of a bed 17 and reciprocating die 18.

After being edged and paneled, the respective blanksare conveyed from the edging and paneling machine to the conventional blank body bender 19, also illustrated in Fig. 7 in the form of a reciprocating born 20 extending forwardly from the reciprocating die 18 and movable therewith.

The action of the bending machine is to bend the respective blanks 10 to dispose the paneled portions thereof at substantially right angles to each other, connected by a relatively rounded corner 21Fig. 1.

By the, conveyers 5 the prepared body forming blanks lO'which were cut from a single sheet, are carried from the respective bending machines 19 to a point where the same lie opposite each other.

With the body forming blanks 10 lying opposite each other, as above described, the timely operated arms 22 engage the same and push them toward each other, so that the H same are received in the angularly disposed runways 23 arranged one on each side of a unison by the conveyer mechanism 5 along the interlocking and can body bumping machine which, as previously stated, is conventionally illustrated in Fig. 8. v I

The mechanism constituting the disclosure infFige is more fully described and set forth in detail in my copending application'"Serial Number 749,497. This appara tus as illustrated in Fig.8, consists of the interlocking'horn'25and the interlocked flange bumping members 26.

The action of the interlocking and seam bumping mechanism 115 to automatically unite the hemmed or hooked edges of the paneled and bent body forming sections 10,

to provide an open ended can body, indi-,

cated by the numeral 27-Fig. 1, the seams of said body being located at diametric opposite corners with the portions 16 of the respective blanks interlocking and flattened,

as at 28.

The open ended can'body which has thus been formed of two body forming blank sections cut from the same sheet of'material, is conveyed from the seam bumping press by the conveyer 5 and is moved at right angles to the direction of its passage through the member 26, so that the free edges of the op posite ends of the body will move through flames from opposing jets 29, located opposite each other at opposite sides of the'conveyer 5.

The action of the flame of-the jets is to burn off or melt from the ends of the can body any grease or volatile material that may be adhering thereto, and to prepare the ends to receive a coating of flux.

After passing the burners 29, the body is conveyed to an apparatus, conventionally illustrated in Fig. 1 by the numeral 30, for applying flux to the opposite ends of the body. This flux applying mechanism is conventionally illustrated in Fig. 9, and consists of the opposing axially rotatable body and engaging members 31 which carry suitable liquid flux absorbing pads extending in the flux receptacles 32, the members 31 being moved to and from each other by a suitable lever mechanism 33, operated from a shaft 34, there 35 being the usual conveyer mechanism 5 for conveying the bodies to and from the members 31.

After the opposite ends of the body have received a coat of flux, the body is conveyed with one end of the prepared can body. This bottom as indicated by the numeral 36, Fig. 2, is of the conventional form, and is stamped from plate by a conventional end forming press 37 illustrated in Fig. 11, andconsisting of the bed 38 and movable die 39.

Conveyers, not illustrated in detail, are employed for conveying the stamped ends to the point 35 to align with one end and form the bottom of the bodies, as the same successively arrive at the point .35. From this point the conventional conveyer mechanism 5 conveys the body with its aligned bottom end to a con ventionalform of end squeezer mechanism,

illustrated in- Fig. 2 by the numeral 40, il-

lustratedmore in detail in Fig. 10 of the to a point 35, Fig. 2, where a bottom is aligned knockout 41' are reeiprocated to and from ing from the end press 37 enters, is another end feed cnnveyer 47Fig. 2. The end forming press 37*, preferably provided insits die forming pdrtion with an insert to provide a depression 48 in an'end stamped thereby, constitutes a can top or end forming press which provides tops or ends for the successive bodies. As the ends 49 are conveyed from the press 37 mechanism i lustrated conventionally by the numeral 50 (Fig. 2)., and constituting a handle and cleatassembling press (Fig. 12) assemblesa handle 51 and cleat 52. and conveys the same by the con veyer 53Fig. 12, to the depression 48 in a can top or end, moving in timed relation with the conveyer 53. This mechanism is conventionally illustrated in Fig. 12, and is more fully described and set forth in my co-pending application-Serial No. 27,590, filed May 2nd, 1925.

Thejcan top and handle assembling and soldering mechanism are illustrated in Fig. 13 and are conventionally illustrated as containing the turret 54 carrying the container endsupporting forms 55 and the turret 56 carrying the radiallydisposed cleat and handle supporting arms 57, one of which overlies each form 55, soldering mechanism 58 being quite briefly illustrated for supplying solder to cause the uniting of the parts. This apparatus is described in detail in'my co-pending application, Serial No. 67,486, filed November 7th, 1925, entitledHandle solder ing apparatus.

From the mechanism, Fig. 13, the can ends or tops 49, in Fig.2, are successfully conveyed along the conveyer 47 to-align with the end of the'successive can bodies when the mechanism 40 is a duplicate of that illus trated in Fig.10, but is positioned at the opposite side of the conveyer from that illustrated by the numeral 40Fig. 2. 7

From the end squeezing mechanism illustrated by the numeral 40, Fig. 2, the bodies with their end members loosely secured thereto by the'joint seams 60, 2,are-conveyed successively to the end rolling mechanisms 61- and 6 1, which act on or roll the squeezed end seams 60, permanently uniting the can ends to the body to make a tight joint thereof, as-at 60Fig. 2. The mechanisms 61 and 61 are conventionally illustrated in the disclosure in Fig. 14, and constitute a conventional form of end rolling appa fratus, which comprises the can end engaging chucks 62 and 62 and the seaming rollers 63;

' the respective'can ends; Link and lever co-aoti'ng instrumentalities being provided for operating therollers63 to'roll or seam able mechanism, such as the conventionally illustrated spiral track 65. 'After being positioned on end, the rolled seams uniting the ends to the can body are soldered to insure a leak-proof joint, and this is accomplished by conveying the can first betwee'njflux supplye ing rolls 66,-then over seam-heating jets 67 and then into contact with automatically fed solder wire'68, and, thereafter, turning the upright can 90 degrees by conveying the same over a conventional turning mechanism 69 and subjecting the uncoated or soldered seams successively to a: second set of flux applying rolls 66, seam heating jets 67 and solder wire 68. This mechanism is conventionally illustrated in F ig. 15, which figure illustrates the rolls of soldering wire 68, the ends of which are automatically maintained in contact with the fluxed heated seams of the can by the rollers70, and is set forth in detail in United States Patent No. 1,391,869, granted to John C. Strickler, Sept. 27 1921. After the above operation, the-can is inverted by means of the spiral track 69 or other. conventional inverting mechanismillustrated in Fig. 2, and the other end of the can is subjected to the same soldering operations, the rolled seams being first subjected to a flux, then heat and solder applied thereto, the steps of the operation being illustrated by the arrows extending tothe illustrations of the completed can'Fig. 20f the drawings.

After the end seams have been soldered, the can on end is conveyed by the con'veyerfi over a trip mechanism 71, which trips the can to a substantially horizontal position onto the guide rails 72, conventionally. illustrated in Fig. 16 of the drawings, and, thereaftenthe body side seams, are,.duringthe conveying of the cans, subjected. to a soldering operatic to permanently seal said side seams. -Ea'ch of-the side seam soldering mechanisms consists of an acid roller 73, a solder bath 7 4, through which each side seam of the can is conveyed after having applied flux or acid thereto, a solder wiping roll 75. for removing the excess of solder and wiping the joint clean,and anair cooling jet applying duct 76 for insuring a rapi'olcooling'o-f the soldered body seam- V 7 After passing the first group of these units, Fig. 16 of the drawings, the can is axially rotated to present itsother side seam downwardly disposed, andsaid latter seam is, in turn, subjected successively .to the second group of units. identical with. the a former group as illustrated in Fig. 16, for soldering the remaining side seam of the can body.

The conveyingmea'ns illustrated and set forth by the numeral. 5 in Fig. 1, may be of any suitable structure, either of an endless continuous type as illustratedin Fig. 6, or of a reciprocating type as in Fig. 5, so long as the same is operated to convey the articles at the desired speed andin co-ordination with the operation of the parts to which the articles are presented or. from which'the same are removed.

It is also to be understood that the various parts and elements of, the herein described organized apparatus operate in timed relation,so that the articles as they progress through the apparatus will be successively arrested when necessary and. acted on in their advancement toward completion,

The .methodclaims herein are the same as method claims in application Serial No. 517,162, filed February 20,1931.

1. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising means for preparing separate substantially duplicate body forming sections ofangular shape, means for assembling and permanently uniting said sections intoangular body forming relation, means for preparing body end closingmembers, means for uniting said'ends to the respective ends of the formed body, andmeans for soldering the-container joint seams, all of said means comprising machines arranged in a connected line. and adapted to produce finished containers by successive operations upon thesections as the latter. are automatically fed along the line, and conveying means acting in co-ordination with and intermediate said preparing means, uniting means and soldering means. I

2. An organized apparatusfor making angular containers, comprising, container part forming, container part conveying, and con- 7 tainer part assembling elements co-.ordinated for. continuous operatlon, the first named element comprising mechanisms for preparing a plurality of angular body sections, and vmechanisms for preparing a plurality of end sections, the conveying elementcomprising mechanism for. presenting the body and end section parts in proper timed relation to the variousforming mechanisms and to various mechanisms constituting theassemblmg element, some of sald assembling mechamsmsunitingthe body sections into an angular unit container body,

and other of said'assembl-ing{mechanisms uniting the end section; parts, the end sections, and the unit container body to form a complete angular container.

'3. An organize'dapparatus formaking angular conta1ners,-c0mpr1s1ng, means for slitting a single sheet" part-into two separate blanks, means for preparing substantially said body forming sections into an'angular container body, means for preparing a pair of container ends, means for assembling and uniting said container ends to the angular container body, and conveying means acting in coordination with and intermediate said container body and said container end preparin assembling, and united means.

"l. in organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for slitting a. single sheet part into two separate blanks, means for preparing substantially duplicate body forming sections from said blanks, means for assembling and uniting said body forming sections into an angular container body, means for soldering the container joint seams, and conveying means acting in coordination with'and intermediate said container body preparing, assembling,. and uniting means.

5. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for trimming, notching, hemming, paneling, edging and bending body forming sections into angular form, means for assembling and permanently uniting a plurality of said sections into body forming relation to form an angular container body, means for preparing body end closing members, means for uniting said ends to the respective ends of the formedbody, all of said means comprising machines arranged in a connected line and adapted to produce finished containers by successive'operations upon the sections as the latter are automatically fed along the line, and conveying means acting in co-ordination with and intermediate said preparing means and said uniting means.

6. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for trimming, notching, hemming, paneling, edging and bending body forming sections into angular form, means for assembling and permanently uniting a plurality of said sections into body forming relation to form an angular container body, means for preparing body end closing members, means for uniting said ends to the respective ends'of the formed, body, means for soldering the container joint seams, allot said means comprising machines arranged in a connected line and adapted to produce, finished containers by successive operations upon the sections as the latter are automatically fed along the line, and conveying means acting in coordination with and intermediate said preparing means, uniting means, and soldering means. v

7. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for trimming, notching, hemming, paneling, edging and bending body forming sections,

means for assembling and permanently uniting said sections into body forming relation to form a'container body, means for forming a body end closing member, means for uniting said member to one end of said container body, means for forming a second body end closing member, means for permanently uniting a handle member to said second end member, means for uniting said second member with its handle member attached to the op posite end of said container body, and conveylng means acting in co-ordination with and intermediate said preparing means and said uniting means.

8. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for trimming, notching, hemming,, paneling, edging and bending body forming sections, means for assembling and permanently uniting said sections into body forming relation to form a container body, means for forming a body end closing member, means for uniting'said member to one end of'said container body, means for forming a second body end closing member, means for permanently uniting a handle member to said second end member, means for uniting said second member with its handle member attached to the opposite end of said container body, means for soldering the container joint seams, and conveying means acting in co-ordination with and'intermediate said preparing means, uniting means, and soldering means.

9. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising, means for slit ting a single sheet part into two separate blanks, means for preparing substantially duplicate body forming sections from said blanks, means for assembling and uniting said body forming'sections into an angular container body, and conveying means acting in co-ordination with and intermediate said container body preparing, assembling and uniting means. v

10. An organized apparatus for making angular containers, comprising means for uniting certain of the edges of two prepared body forming sections to form a container body, means for uniting the edges'ofjprepared container ends with certain edges of the container body to form an angular container, and conveying means acting in co-ordination with and intermediate said container body and said container end uniting means.

11. An organized apparatus for making containers, comprising, means for preparing angular body forming sections, means for preparing one body end closing member, separate means for preparing a second body end closing member, means for assembling and uniting said body forming sections with each other and with said body end closing members to form a finished angular container, and conveying means acting incoordination with and intermediate said container body and said container end preparing and uniting means. l v

12. .An organized'apparatus for making containers, comprising, means for preparing an angular body end closing member, means for preparing a second angular body end closing member, conveying means for successively presenting a formed angular container body to the first prepared body end closing member and to the second prepared body end closing member, and assembling and uniting means securing the container parts together to'form a finished contalner,

' all of said means comprising mechanism arranged in .a connected line adapted to produce finished containers by successive operations upon the container parts as the latter are automatically fed along the line.

bodies, forming the can ends, securing, the

can ends to said can bodies, performing said steps of the method in timed relation, and conveying the said can parts in co-ordination with and intermediate said steps of the method. I

14. The method of making angular can.

bodies which consists in slitting a sheet into two parts, forming two angular halfbodies for cans from said'sheet parts, interlocking together said half-bodies to form can bodies, forming the can ends, applyingthe can ends to said can bodies, rolling the end seams of said can bodies, performing said steps of the method in timed relation, and conveying the said can parts in coeordination with and intermediate said steps of the method;

15. The method of making angular can bodies which consists in slitting sheets to form separated sections, notching and hemming said separated sections, separately forming two angular half-bodies for cans from the sheet sections, interlocking together the hemmed edges of said half-bodies to form can bodies, forming the can ends, securing the. can ends to said can bod es, performing said steps of the method in timed relation, and conveying the said. can parts in timed relation intermediate said steps ofthe method. i r

' '16. The method, of making twopart angular canrbodies whichconsists in simultaneously conveying two body-sectionsblanks, successively notchi'ng, hemming 3 and bending into angular form said two blanks, each of said blanks being'treated separately as above described, then forcing towards each other.

said treated and bent blanks until their hemmed edges lie opposite to each other, then conveying the'opposed blanks forward in tainer.

-' unison, and interlockingthe opposed hemmed edges of said body sections, the can parts being-conveyed during the performance of the above steps of the'methodin co-ordinationwith and intermediate said steps.

17 The method of making two-part angu lar can bodies, which consists in simultaneously conveying two body-section blanks, successively-notching, hemming, and bending into angular form said two blanks, each of said blanks being treated separatelyas above described, then forcing towards each other said treated and bent blanks until their hemmed edges lie opposite to each other, then conveying the opposed blanks forward in unison, and interlocking the opposed hemmed edges oflsaid body sections, then bumping said interlocked edges to form an open ended can body, then conveying said can body and causing. its end edges to pass through heatingmeans, and then through flux applying means, then conveying into engagement a can end and oneend edge of'said body, then conveying said body and can end'to squeezing means and compressing said bottom and can body edge into tight flanged engagement,

then conveying into engagement a can end and the other end edge of said body, then' conveying said parts to squeezing means and compressing said top and can body e'dgeinto tight flanged engagement, the can partsbeing conveyed during the performance of the above steps of the method in co-ordination withand intermediate said steps. 7 n 18. The m'ethod of making angular containers by a continuously operating, 00- i ordinated mechanism, which consists in slitting a. single sheet part into'two separate blanks and conveying each blank individu- 'ally through a series of separate but sub-t stantially identical operations to a point'of assembly, thereby obtaining a pair of angular half-bodies from the same sheetpart, and reunitingsaid parts by interlocking together said half-bodies toform a single container. body. l v

' l9.-The1nethod of making angular containers; by .a continuously operating, coordinated mechanism, which consists in slitting a single sheet part into two, separate blanks and conveying each, blankindividually through a series of separate but substantially identical operations to apoint of assembly, thereby obtaining a pair of angular half-bodies, reuniting said parts by inter-- locking together said half-bodies to form a single container body, preparing a pair of container ends and conveying each prepared end into contactwith the prepared'container body, and securing said ends on to said co'ntainer body to form a complete angular eon- JAMES A. GRAY. 

